Dear Lee
by Elendilka
Summary: With walls of Wellington behind Clementine's and Kenny's back, they are left to pick up the pieces. In the struggle to find solutions to the mess they find themselves in, Clementine finds an empty notebook. Kenny urges her to write a letter to Lee or to the others left behind, to ease her mind. It's a one-shot just for now. I am not a native english speaker.


Clementine stood in the snow unable to feel her fingers. She was looking at the scene in front of her with horror in her eyes. Both Kenny and Jane were screaming at her to do something, yet they didn't seem to even notice her.

She stood on the ground, paralyzed. The snow was getting into her sneakers and melting. She was sure that pretty soon she won't be able to feel her toes either.

And then it happened. Kenny killed Jane and went into some kind of a different dimension.

"I had to do it," were one of the first words he said to her afterwards.

Everything was such a mess, until they heard the faint screaming of a child in the background. It seems that the only thing that brought them both to senses again, was the voice of a tiny, helpless baby.

She repositioned the strap of the duffel bag on her shoulder. It was digging into her anyway, but she at least had a momentary feeling, that it got better. Kenny figured out a trick for carrying AJ in semi-closed winter jacket and was supporting his back with one arm and holding an elongated knife in the other.

"Clementine, you know that I could carry that duffel bag for you," he said, his voice rumbling in the wind.

"It's okay, I don't mind it," she answered, a little out of breath.

The forest was getting darker by the minute and they both grew a bit nervous, because there wasn't any shelter to be found.

They left the walls of Wellington behind them this morning and Kenny's face was still a mix of expressions. One moment he was smiling beneath his mustache, hoping that Clementine won't notice that he is flattered by her choice of staying with him. He also grew more grim and was frowning a lot. She could see that we was doubting himself - would he be able to leave all the ghosts of the past behind?

It was an exceptionally clear and sunny day, which meant that the night would be really cold. Clementine started to lose feeling in her fingers, but decided not to mention it. Kenny pushed AJ more tight into himself, but the baby kept resisting and was starting to cry.

Kenny grunted. It was the kind of grunt to conceal his worries from the children.

"We will find something soon, I'm sure of it," said Clementine.

"Well," Kenny started and repositioned his hat a bit with the hand holding the knife, "I guess that we could still turn around if it comes to the worst."

Clementine turned her head toward him and her expression could kill, if it was humanly possible.

"I know, I know," he said hastily, "we've been over this. I won't mention it again. At least not today."

"Good."

They kept walking. The trees were growing more sparse and a clearing started to form. It was hard to recognize the shapes with the significant darkness surrounding them, but it looked like they found the way out of the woods.

Kenny squeezed the knife in his palm and asked Clementine to pull a screwdriver out the duffel. She unzipped it and took it out quickly.

At least a bit of luck was on their side that day, because the moon showed up and lit their way a little. They could see a few houses in front of them, all of which were little cabins, probably for rent. They also could also see a couple of bodies walking aimlessly.

"Here, take Junior for me for a minute, Clem," Kenny whispered a unzipped his jacket.

Clementine reached for the baby. AJ was quite warm and still crying a little. She held him tightly with both her hands, the screwdriver being still ready in one. Kenny moved carefully forward and she followed him, maintaining a safe distance.

He made his way through the walkers swiftly, because the cold made them slow and less agile. He decided to move up the hill and to occupy one of the first cabins. When he finally settled on one, Clementines hand were quite frozen.

"I'm sorry Clem, but you are going to have to wait outside for a second. I am going to make sure that it's safe and that there is some wood inside to make fire. We need to melt some snow to prepare AJ's formula and fast," he said and pointed her to children's jungle gym nearby. There was a part high enough above the ground, to prevent the dead from getting to them. He took AJ from her hands a gave him back after she was safely on top of it.

"Wait here, they won't get to you that easily. I'll come for the both of you," he whispered, "Clem, do look around please, make sure that there aren't any people around."

"Sure thing," she said and managed a bleak smile. She was really tired a and cold, but still the trooper. She turned a bit, to cover AJ from the wind.

They were alone by the looks of it. There was no light and no human sounds. The metal construction was cold beneath her, which kept her awake. Kenny showed up pretty soon, his hands reaching for the baby.

"C'mon, let's go," he managed to say, when he helped her down with the free hand. They walked quickly into the house. It was an imitation of a mountain cabin from the outside, but it was quite contemporary on the inside. The whole downstairs was an open space with kitchen and living room connected and with an exposed fireplace. Kenny laid little Alvin on one of the chairs and asked Clementine to go rummage through the kitchen and gather as much snow as possible into the bowls or pots, as she could.

The kitchen had all of the cupboards and drawers open, but whoever had searched through it last, forgot to open the door beneath the sink and there was one bucket left. Clementine walked out through the side entrance, while Kenny was moving the furniture to secure the main one. She scraped the untouched snow from the ground, hoping that none of the dirt would make it into the bucket. AJ was now crying so loud, that she could faintly hear it.

Clementine put the bucket next to fire that Kenny managed to start. He put dinning room table in front of the side door for the time being. After that he started to prepare the formula and Clementine sat down next to the fire, exhausted.

"Lie down, kiddo," he said, "I've got this."

There was a faint cry in the distance. Clementine couldn't place it at first and just turned around on the floor, to continue to sleep on her other side. Then it just all came back to her and she woke up. AJ was already up and crying. There was light coming in through the dirty windows and Kenny was asleep a few inches away from her.

He must have been up quite late. She could see that he brought in more snow, now just water, and fortified the place a bit. He also found one of those modern square picnic baskets a put the baby into it.

Clementine made a fresh bottle of formula, fed AJ and changed his diaper. She used one of the few one-use kind that they had left, because she still wasn't sure how to put the cloth one onto him properly. Then she stood up, took the bucket of water and went to the bathroom to wash herself a little. The room was empty as well - everything was open and there was nothing left. Someone even took the shower rug and there was a cleaner circle among the dust and dirt on the floor.

When she came back into the living room, Kenny was already up and placing his eye patch back.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

"Good morning to you too," he answered and looked around, "Let me tell you, they've cleared the place out pretty well. The only things left are just useless. And crap."

"Probably Wellingtonians, right?" said Clementine, putting the bucket next to the fireplace that was now filled only with ashes.

"Yeah, probably."

Kenny took the bucket and went to the bathroom. Clementine started to walk around the room and looking at things scattered on the shelves. Books, decorative stones and little statues. Nothing even remotely useful. She picked up one of the thick encyclopedias and started to look through it's glossy pages. She looked at the pictures mostly, being not such a good reader. A side effect of leaving school before it even properly started for her. She put the book back, frustrated by the complicated words.

Then she found a thin, slick notebook. It was empty, not even a word or a sketch marked the pages.

"You should keep that," said Kenny, coming back.

"I don't think so. I can draw only simple pictures, it would be a waste" she said, still holding to notebook in her hands.

It was brown, the cover imitating leather, "Besides, there are lines on the inside."

"Then maybe you should write something in it."

Clementine lifted her eyebrows. Her handwriting was childlike and she didn't want to ruin the crisp pages.

"Sarita urged me to write to Duck and Kat, you know," he started, "she said that it would make me feel better."

"And did you? Write to them," Clementine looked at him.

"I tried. But I didn't know what to say. I feel like Katja finished our conversation. And Duck…" his expression saddened.

There was a faint sound from the basket.

"Junior seems to be bored with us, Clem," Kenny said, "I think we should go. But anyway, I'm sure that you have place for a notebook. Take it with you. And write to Lee, or to Luke. As an exercise, maybe. Or as a conversation if you want to. I know that there has been a lot going on lately. I don't know about you, but I sure hope that we are going to have some quiet time now."

He went to gather their things and some stuff they could use from the cabin so that they could leave. Clementine sat down next to the basket with AJ inside it and checked up on him. After that she put the notebook into the duffel bag. Maybe she will scribble in it, when she finds a working pen somewhere.

Later that day though, when they were making their way through freshly fallen snow, she couldn't help herself and started to think about a letter.

"Dear Lee," she thought walking in her wet sneakers, "I miss you every day. Everything is such a mess. But I keep on going, just like you would."


End file.
